Kenneth M. Lynch

Kenneth M. Lynch, 60, of Livingston and Budd Lake, passed away peacefully while in his sleep in the early morning hours after a long heroic and difficult battle with lung cancer on May 6, 2018, while at home in a hospital bed with nurse watching after his turning off the life-sustaining machinery three days prior.

Ken was adopted on September 30, 1957, in Los Angeles, CA, by Rita C. (nee McGurty) Lynch and John "Jack" E. Lynch, at birth. Ken was a devoted son, a great brother, a thoughtful uncle, and a caring co-parent to many furry and feathered nieces and nephews, dogs were his all-time favorite. Ken loved surf fishing A LOT, the Shore, family, friends, and animals. Ken was born in Los Angeles and lived his first years in Whittier, California, with mom, Rita, and dad, Jack (John E. Lynch, who pre-deceased Ken in 1999). At age 2, Ken’s family moved back to New Jersey and settled in Livingston. He attended preschool at Knights of Columbus, then kindergarten at Collins, then 1st through 6th grade at St. Phil’s (now Aquinas Academy), then 7th though 9th grade at Heritage Junior High, then focused on college prep and thoroughly enjoyed shop, reading everything, and A-V (audio-visual) at Livingston High graduating in 1975. Ken attained the rank of Eagle Scout from Troop 16 Livingston. He picked wild blueberries and made Sassafras tea and Birch beer in the summers at Camp Kenetawapec. To celebrate Eagle Scout Ken attended the 1973 National Scout Jamboree in Idaho. Ken was tapped to be in the Order of the Arrow as well. He attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio, 1976-1978, where he served as house manager at Fiji (Phi Gamma Delta) fraternity. He finished his BA degree in English and Finance at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey. He worked among other jobs at what later became Direct TV, then he worked with insurance companies as a repo man repossessing and returning unpaid for cars, then he worked at Benjamin Moore paint company. He was sent to Australia to assist with ordering and installing the industry’s first of its kind computerized color match system in their partner paint stores down under there and when home he did similar here up and down the east coast.

Ken enjoyed fishing trips in a rented boat on the Manasquan River, and surf fishing trips at Island Beach State Park among other places, and dock fishing trips at many spots along the Jersey Shore with his dad, his dad’s friend and Livingston neighbor, Big Pat (Pascuale A. Marinello, who he idolized and who pre-deceased Ken in 2001), and two to three others, sometimes including his brother Richard and one of Richard’s buddies, sometimes Big Pat’s son Pat Boy (Pat Marinello of Livingston), and other times friends of his dad from Scouts and/or uncles who were friends. The big joy for all partakers was prepping the fishing, and then catching so many Flounder fish, for example, that the spoils had to be given to the rectory and convent at St. Phil’s, after loading up friends’ and others’ refrigerators to the max. Besides the fishing itself, which Ken really enjoyed like how a meditator really likes and gets into meditating, Ken also enjoyed the planning and the eating of the big dinner meal on these very special weekend fishing trips. He studied Big Pat’s making of Clams Casino and Clams Oreganato, ultimately learning how to make the two dishes to near Big Pat-like perfection by himself. Ken caught many fish and learned later to enjoy throwing the fish he caught back for the fish to enjoy their life/lives some more, too.

Ken is survived by his mother, Rita Lynch of Livingston, his brother, Richard Lynch of San Francisco, and Richard’s spouse and his brother-in-law of 26 years, Frank Steil, their furry and feathered children, Tiny Tim, 27, and Stella, ~4, his great cousin, Kathy Battis of Watchung, N.J., and her furry child, Lucy, cousins and family in Central and South Jersey, and distant friends as far away as California, including Team Stormy comprising Marianne Skoczek, Sam Jennings, Dale Holzschuh, et al, and named in honor of his furry rescued niece, Stormy, the three-legged Dalmatian and California Assistance Dog, who visited often from California since 2006 and pre-deceased Ken in 2017 having successfully fought off Valley Fever (two heart surgeries and loss of a back leg) and dying simply of old age and a third stroke at approximately 13 years and two months in age.

A quiet type, yes and no, but when Ken engaged it was very hard to keep him quiet then. Strong opinions and a moral compass Ken was sometimes a perfectionist to a point of not finishing something like a hand-built hutch he had worked on literally for years and years and years and then suddenly because a certain piece of wood or whatever was no longer available, he switched gears and moved onto another item instead. When Ken first got fitted for glasses at a very young age his love of the outdoors commenced as he said to his mom on the ride home from the optometrist “wow look at how beautiful the trees are, mom.” For most of his life Ken was 6’3” and as a child his mom would have to bring proof to get children’s rate tickets for him. This was exemplified when he wanted to quit being an altar boy the priest (Father Kavin at St. Phil’s) got him another year longer because he didn’t know how to tell the man he didn’t want to become a priest. And of course suddenly Ken posited the question to his amused family “can a Pope be from America?”

Ken's Funeral Service will be held on May 12, 2018 at 9:30 am at St. Philomena RC Church, 396 S. Livingston Avenue, Livingston, N.J. Committal Service will be held on May 12, 2018 at 11:00 am at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 225 Ridgedale Avenue, Livingston, N.J. In lieu of flowers a donation to the American Cancer Society or C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation or The Trevor Project at https://www.thetrevorproject.org or your favorite progressive nonprofit in memory of Ken would be greatly appreciated.